


Pushing Forward

by Unicorn (Jensee)



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Stripper/Exotic Dancer, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Benzaiten Steel is dead I'm sorry, Dubious Consent, Juno is a good parent, M/M, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sex Work, Strippers & Strip Clubs, but he had a daughter, like a lot of angst and a bit of comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2020-10-09 05:18:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20510411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jensee/pseuds/Unicorn
Summary: Jupiter Jurojin Steel had appeared in Juno's life a little over six years ago.He hadn't asked, when Ben had shown up on his door with a sad smile and a tiny bundle in his arms, how it had been that Benzaiten had had a baby while Juno wasn't looking. Who was the mother, if there was one; where she was. Why had Ben decided to give his daughter the same kind of name Sarah Steel had liked enough to give her kids?He'd been tempted to ask where her twin was. How it was that she had to carry two names instead of one, heavy and unforgiving. How it was that she had to be all alone against the world.He hadn't.He'd figured they'd have the time to uncover everything later on.That wasn't accounting for Sarah Steel.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so MAJOR HEADS UP! This apparently starts out as relatively cute. DONT TRUST IT. IM A MONSTER AND THINGS WILL GET REALLY BAD. This is not gonna stay "happy" for long. So, please be aware of the tag and read accordingly.
> 
> That said, if you're still going ahead, I hope you enjoy it.

Juno finished his set by throwing his very short shorts behind him as he left the stage. Shouts erupted in the crowd and Juno smirked privately as he let his fingers drag across the skin of his thigh right where it met his ass, slowly enough to let each and every one of the clients imagine it was their hand digging into his flesh.

His exit is awash in aplause, shouts, and catcalls.

"Aww, Juno that was magnificent! I wish I had half that talent!"

Juno snorted without answering. Julian was easily Vicky's most popular male dancer, and he had a rich boyfriend that could bail him out whenever he wanted. He didn't need any of Juno's so-called talent.

Besides, Juno wouldn't really call any of it talent.

All his moves were Ben's.

Of course they were. 

Juno bypassed the frenetic preparations for the next big set, ignoring his colleagues putting a last touch to their make up or squeezing themselves in their tight garnments. The first time Juno had stepped behind Valles Vicky's big scene, he'd been mermerized at the vibrant, loud, frenetic organized chaos that took place before every performance, but that had been quite a long time ago, and he was now left unfazed as he made a beeline for the showers.

The pressure was much better than it was at his own place, and Juno took a moment to appreciate the way it battered his tired muscles.

Nights like these, he could remember why, despite everything, he liked this. Liked the way it exerted his whole body, the way this crowd of touch-starved assholes salivated after him despite the numerous scar littering his skin, exposing his sob-story of a past for all to see.

His routine was fairly simple, accodomating his rather mediocre dancing skills and his occasionally flaring asthma, but it showed off his body and while he wasn't as successful as most of Vicky's dancers, he still pulled more than his weight in sweaty perverts.

Nights like these, he could remember Ben teaching him those dance moves fondly and without the heavy, hot weight he usually carried around everywhere he went.

The flat was as dark as the streets outside when Juno finally came home. His performance had been fairly early, but he also had a hour in the bar to make a few more bucks. Vicky knew he needed the money so she let him work as a host despite the fact that Juno was pretty sure he was losing her as many clients as he was making her, but she was gracious enough not to mention it.  
They buted head pretty often, but even Juno could recognize she was just a plain good woman beneath her brash, uncaring words.

Nevertheless, she was a good woman with a hosting bar, and spending time with clients half-drooling on his tight, large necked shirt as he tried to gently lean into their space in a way that didn't seem too unnatural or forced wasn't exactly his idea of a good time. He wouldn't pretend to love his job but it allowed him to come back to a little flat in one of the - rare - good parts of Hyperion City.

"Hey Jay." 

"Hey. Is she asleep?" 

Mick gave him a lopsided smile.

"She should be, but you know how it is..." 

Juno padded softly into the warm little room.

"Unty Jay?" 

The form in the bed shifted slightly, and Juno closed the distance to give his niece the embrace she was asking for. 

"Hey, baby, shouldn't you be sleeping?" 

She pressed closer under his arm, wrapping her little arms around him as much as she could. 

"Mick said you'd come tell me goodnight." she mumbled, hugging him tighter.

Juno passed a placating hand over her hair. 

"Of course he did."

"I want a story." 

Juno looked at her, an eyebrow raised. 

"Jup-" 

"Please! And then I'll sleep, promise!" 

She looked at him with a determinated frown and despite how many times he noticed it, her resemblance to Ben - to him - punched him in the stomach. She looked so much like her father, so much like her grandmother... It never failed to send a overwhelming, furious mingle of feeling firing up in Juno's stomach.

"Alright. But then, you're sleeping, you demon of a child."

She giggled and threw herself into the bed. Juno arranged the comforter snuggly around her and sat down on the floor so he could slip an arm around her as he lulled her to sleep.

"What kind of story do you want?"

She hesitated an instant and Juno knew exactly what she was going to ask him for. 

"Can I have one about dad?" 

"Of course, baby."

He raked his brain to find one that was appropriate enough, and landed on a prank Ben had done on one of their teacher that had been mean to his twin brother. Jupiter knew a lot of those stories already, and Juno tried to remember every detail of his childhood to give her the scraps of the dad she couldn't have.

He left a lot out, of course. She didn't need to know about the way Ben and Juno skirted around their own mother, trying to gauge just how angry she was that day, or how things really were in Old Town, where being a kid didn't protect you from the bad and the ugly. Jupiter didn't need to know any of that.  
Juno was trying so hard for her to never have to know that.

He was barely halfway through the story when her breaths evened out. Juno went on for a few minutes, but it was obvious his niece was dead to the world.

"Goodnight, baby." he whispered, and brushed his lips over her forehead. "I love you."

She mumbled something, too deep under for it to sound like anything, and the sound brought a new smile on Juno's lips.

Jupiter Jurojin Steel had appeared in Juno's life a little over four years ago. He hadn't asked, when Ben had shown up on his door with a sad smile and a tiny baby in his arms, how it had been that Benzaiten had had a baby while Juno wasn't looking. Who was the mother, if there was one; where she was. Why had Ben decided to give his daughter the same kind of name Sarah Steel had liked enough to give her kids.  
He'd been tempted to ask where her twin was. How it was that she had to carry two names instead of one. How it was that she had to be alone against the world.

He hadn't.

He'd figured they'd have the time to uncover everything later on. 

That wasn't accounting for Sarah Steel.

Now Juno was left alone with a baby that looked too much like him, and no idea how to take care of it. He'd had to drop out of police training to take care of her and eventually reached out to Vicky to earn enough money so that she could grow up in one of the nicest parts of town. Mick moving in with him hadn't been part of the plan - not that Juno had had enough control over the situation to make any - but in the end, it had worked out well. Mick could barely hold a job more than an afternoon at a time, but that meant he had the time to take care of a little girl while Juno used everything Ben had ever taught him about dance to try and keep them afloat, grinding his teeth the whole time to try and refrain from screaming at how unfair it all was.

It worked. Kind of.

He and Mick slept in the same bed. Mick had started out sleeping on the couch but with Juno's repeated late nights, it felt a bit stupid to keep him from being comfortable when there was a whole bed avalaible until late at night. It wasn't like Juno would be bringing anyone home for a long while. Maybe there had been the sparkle of something with Diamond back in the day, but that had crashed and burned at the same time as Juno's dream of making the world a better place.  
And if sometimes he woke up snuggled up to Mick, his friend had the decency never to mention it.

Juno woke suddenly to a weight dropping on his stomach.

"Juno!!" was shrieked directly into his ear, and he groaned, trying to chase away the little girl currently assaulting his auditory system. She giggled and snuggled up to his chest. He blearily opened an eye. 

Jupiter grinned up at him.

"Hello!"

"Hey, you."

"Mick's making breakfast." - she dropped her voice to a whisper - "I'm not supposed to wake you up."

"Uh uh" he gathered her up a bit closer "is that what you're doing?" 

She giggled once more, but settled next to him easily enough, and dozed with him for around twenty minutes before she grew restless again. By that time, Juno was awake enough that he didn't mind pulling himself out of bed, making a show of it to make Jupiter laugh.

One undeniable advantage of working nights was that he didn't really have to wake up that early.

But of course, that didn't really matter when you shared space with an energetic six years old. 

Mick had indeed made them breakfast. It wasn't eggs because despite Juno's numerous tries Mick was still horrendous at cooking. He had however laid out some bread splattered with the cheap marmelade they bought for Jupiter and made coffee for Juno and him, which was more than enough.

Jupiter ran straight to her chair and began eating in earnest.

"What's your plan today, Mercury?"

Juno barely listened as his friend started to describe another scheme he'd cooked up, that would probably crash and burn quicker that he could pitch it. Jupiter listened with attention as she heartily tore into her meal. She reminded Juno of him and Ben when they were the same age as she was now, listening to Mick Mercury spin incredible tales of grandeur and glory, as if he had the key to the city and a spaceship headed for another galaxy.

"Come on, Jup, time to get ready for school."

Jupiter's school was nothing like the one Ben and Juno had been to in Old Town. It had a strict policy about parents being late and the welcoming lady always glared at Juno when he came in - to be fair, he glared right back - but the walls had no cracks in them and the teachers didn't make an habit out of hitting or humiliating their students. 

"I'm still waiting on that payment for the month, Mister Steel." said the woman.

"I'll have it next week."

He tried not to sneer the words. He already was toeing the line by paying monthly rather than once for the whole year, and pushing his non-existent luck hadn't ever done Juno any good.  
The woman nodded curtly.

"Unty Jay!"

Juno let himself be pulled down to Jupiter's level so she could plant a noisy kiss on his cheek. Then she gave him a sunny smile before running off into the school.

He tipped his head to the woman, and left. 

Juno's days, when he didn't spend them with Jupiter; or answering to Vicky's phonecalls when she made use of his meager skills-set as a budding detective, were rather empty. If Mick wasn't on one of his job and/or dubious scheme, they sometimes spent the day together, crashing on their ratty but clean couch and watching cartoons absorbing enough that Mick didn't try to talk to Juno about his dead dreams and his deader brother. Sometimes he made an effort to try and cook something or to clean the flat a bit, and sometimes he walked aimlessly, letting the emptiness of his mind lose him to the world for a few hours.

More often than not, he found his feet leading him to the cemetery. He would stop under its iron archway and look at the tomb Sarah Steel had paid for the son she'd murdered. Juno had wanted to scream and fight when he'd received the money, with a tear-soaked note asking him to do it for Benzaiten if not for her, but the alternative was to let his twin be put in a tiny box up a high tower and Juno...  
Juno hadn't been able to bring himself to do it.

He couldn't bring himself to get close to the tomb, either.

But not today. 

Today, Juno resolutely walked right back home, crossing his good neighborhood to get to his nice little flat and spent the day making food Jupiter could take to school for lunch throughout the week.

He was doing okay, he was doing fine.  
Maybe not good; good had flown out the window the day he'd buried Ben, but okay enough to take care of their little girl.

He got to Valles Vicky vixen Valley right before the opening. He didn't have an act today; was just supposed to attend the tables and chat up the clients. In appearance, an easier shift than stage but Juno much preferred being on the verge of a asthma attack doing a routine than having to deal with Vicky's most obnoxious clients.

Juno knew his particular brand of stubbornness wasn't the most attractive, but it apparently did it for some of Vicky's patrons. They went in two categories; shy, younger queer kids who thought his tough demeanor was cool rather than annoying and who would approach him but barely dared to actually talk to him, and confident, quietly violent characters who laid sure, possessive hands on his skin. The first kind's skitiness was fine by Juno. He doubted he would be able not to snap and tell those kids to rethink their role model before they truly fucked up. And while it would alleviate his conscience a bit, Vicky would have his head if he chased her clients away. The other kind, Juno did not have any problem letting down the path of too much sweet perfume and too many burning drinks. They were older, often mean, and obviously got off on the idea that they could tame Juno despite his gruffness and his scars.

They were dangerous though, Juno knew, and not only because he was sure a good portion of them were parts of some of the mafia families roaming the streets of Hyperion City.

He'd always had a taste for assholes, after all. And if that wasn't entirely fair to Diamond, well... Juno was past the point of caring. And if sometimes, well, Juno didn't hate the attention half as much as he told himself he did, that was between him and the meagre, singular glass of liquid courage Vicky's employees were allowed per working night.

Even then, nobody liked a pushy customer. 

"That was quite a performance you showed me last night, my dear." whispered Jonas Fletcher into Juno's ear. He was rather short and lithe, but the way his teeth glinted when he smiled and his amused assurance that everything and everyone would do exactly as he wished was enough to warn Juno that there was more to him than his delicate appearance. He wasn't what Juno would have called regular, but that was only because he'd only started frequenting Valles Vicky's Vixen Valley less than a month ago. Since that first night he'd sat at Juno table - Juno was quite sure he'd scared off a couple of young women to get one of the tables that allowed him to sit with his back to the wall - he'd been there twice a week, and the hand casually resting on Juno's barely covered thigh was something he'd had a hard time shaking off. 

"You watched that?" Juno tried on a filtrations smile, but it probably came out more sardonic than anything else. Fletcher didn't react to the tone, but Juno knew he'd noticed. 

"Of course I did. You were magnificent."

That startled a laugh out of Juno. It sounded pleasantly surprised and a touch disbelieving. 

"Actually..." Fletcher brought his hand to Juno's hip, squeezing his waist where his shirt - barely long enough not to be called a crop top - rested "I was suitably impressed and wondered if you'd be willing to reproduce the experience. In a more... private setting." 

Juno stared.

Lapdances weren't especially advertised at Vicky to allow her vixens - and it still felt extremely weird to refer to himself as such - to say no to any client they wished. But there were some rooms in the back made specifically for that purpose and Vicky's commission on them was much smaller than on most of the vixens' services.

Fletcher's hand was cold on Juno's skin; colder than he would have expected them to be.

Juno looked him in the eyes. 

"Alright."

Fletcher smiled.

Jonas Fletcher waited amiabaly as Juno notified Todd, Vicky's concrete wall of a bodyguard, of the transaction, and didn't protest to the early payment policy. He listened patiently as Todd reminded him of the rules once they entered the private rooms. No inappropriate touching unless the vixen allowed it; if he wanted more time in the room, he'd have to pay upfront for it; no weapons allowed. Fletcher politely nodded and reached in his jacket to take out a glistening hunting knife that looked almost too big for his slender hands.

Then they found themselves alone in a dimly lit area agremented with a single crimson couch. It ran along the wall and threw a cushioned arm towards the center of the room so that clients could either lounge against the wall or straddle the furniture. Juno pulled Fletcher towards this centerpiece and the man let himself be seated, an amused smile on his lips. It was pretty obvious that despite all of Juno's efforts, he was seeing right through his scowl down to the tight center of his nervousness.

There was a small panel in one of the walls, and Juno didn't let himself give too much thought to the song he put on. It started out with a rather angry tone, perfect for Juno to set his performance to the cusp of violence, to exorcize his own annoyance through the angry flex of his arms as he planted his hands on Fletcher's sides. The man didn't flinch, and Juno had no doubt he knew exactly what he was thinking, but he did his best not to let those sly lips get the best of him.

His work outfit wasn't the easiest thing to sexily step out off, if only by the vertu of there being so little of it, so Juno started by simply caressing his own skin, staring right into Fletcher's eyes to dare him to reach out and touch as well. His eagle eyes stayed amused. The whole thing pissed Juno off.

He went on with the dance, hitting the beats with moves that put on display the curves of his body and suggested what a man like Fletcher could do with it. Fletcher was still annoyingly composed but he was starting to look somewhat interested instead of simply indulgent.

Then came the moment where Juno could no longer avoid the "lap" part of the lapdance. Vicky had gave up making him wear high heels after the first four days of failure and bruises, so the foot he lifted was instead wrapped in a black leather boot, slightly compensed and reaching up to just under his knee. Fletcher looked appreciatively at the leg bracketing him and as Juno leaned in closer until it would only have taken an inch for them to be kissing. 

"No touching" he hissed, and forcefully removed the hand that had slipped on his thigh, a finger slinking beneath the fabric of his tight shorts. 

Fletcher's smile only got wider.

Juno went on with the performance, getting in turn closer and farther away from the man, trying to give the impression of a tantalizing gift continuously keeping itself away from his grasp.

He was halfway seated on the man's lap - about to get up and keep himself away to wind down and let the song die out - when the hand suddenly on his lower back yanked him forward. He almost lost his balance and toppled over, catching himself by putting a hand on Fletcher's chest. He was now truly and completely straddling him, his legs spread around the man's torso. Had Vicky not been as insistant as she's been he continuously stretch himself, he probably would have pulled something. Fletcher was once again sporting his infuriating, amused smile.

"I thought I said no touching." hissed Juno, and made to get up.

Fletcher's grip didn't falter. He was - just as Juno had guessed - much stronger than he looked.

"Did you? I don't think I remember..." 

Juno hated that his skin felt on fire despite the cold emanating from Fletcher's hands. The man's smile was dangerous and the sharp angle of his thighs digged into Juno's meatier legs. His grip was tight and unforgiving and Juno was tempted to melt into it, to let that understated violence swarm and ravage him.

What a raging douche.

"See, Juno, I happen to think you're quite the catch." his grip relaxed into a caress and the fire under Juno's skin roared. "And while I enjoy the show, I'm very much craving a little more than that." Juno jumped when he felt a hand unmistakably grope his ass, and fixed Fletcher with a glare.

"That's not on the menu, dear client." Juno said, in the driest possible tone, and tried to disentangle himself again. Again, Fletcher's grip on him proved unbreakable. Juno very seriously considered trying to fight him off. Fletcher was smaller, yes, but if the power in his hands was any indication of his strenght, Juno wasn't sure he could actually snatch his limbs away from the man's unforgiving grip. 

"I'm not talking about Vicky's Vixen services, Juno. I have a room in a hotel nearby... I'm sure we'd be more comfortable to get to know each other there."

Juno actually considered it for an instant, thinking about those cold hands digging into his thighs to keep them well apart while Fletcher fucked him. He already knew the man wouldn't be tender. He would make him feel it, bruise him for a week...

"I don't-" 

"Of course, I'll pay you accordingly, I don't expect you to do me a favour."

Juno felt suddenly as if someone had poured a bucket of icy water over his head. 

Of course. 

This wasn't some guy Juno had met in a bar. Hell, that wasn't even some shady as fuck criminal Juno had met while wasted. What this man was offering wasn't a quick romp in the sheets between two consenting adults.

"Would that be really such a trial?" 

"I don't want to."

Fletcher didn't look mad, or even upset, but his grip on Juno didn't falter. 

"Really? Well, I guess there's no accounting for taste, if you change your mind, however..." he produced a business card and Juno snatched it irritably. 

"Yeah I get it. Let me go."

Fletcher smiled amicably and released his grip instantly, freeing Juno who practically bolted. 

"Thank you for tonight" Fletcher called after him. 

He didn't bother to respond.

He crossed the Valles Vicky's bar in a daze. He didn't know what time it was or if he'd actually finished his shift but he hoped Vicky would understand because he couldn't stay a moment more. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in his bed and forget everything, the fire under his skin and the cold, slimy feeling in his heart and in his throat.

He slammed into a firm body and nearly fell, only saved by a hand catching his elbow.

"I'm sorry, are you al- oh. Hi."

The man he'd slammed into was lean and dark, with a switchable smile and straight black hair. He was clad in a smooth gold tank top and a black leather mini-skirt. He looked younger than Juno, like a kid really, but that could have been the discrete but heavy make up on his face.

"Hey."

"I'm Rex, Vicky's new hire."

His smile was beautiful, with a touch of shyness. It was perfect. 

Juno couldn't deal with perfect right then.

"Okay. Nice to meet you." 

He made a beeline for the exit.

Nobody stopped him this time.

Juno must have been getting home earlier than usual, because Jupiter was still in the process of getting to bed when he came home. She obviously wanted her unty to put her to bed, so he complied. 

"Can I have a story?" 

"Not tonight, kiddo. Just go to sleep."

She just looked at him with a sad, knowing look, and Juno hated himself a little more for forcing her to be so mature already. 

She gripped his hand tightly in hers until her breaths evened out and her grip got slack around him.

He slowly untangled her hand from his and gently tucked her in, before slinking out of the room. He barely glanced at the dinner Mick had managed to throw together and immediately went to bed, only removing his pants and boots to burrow under the covers.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juno is, maybe, not that fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so a few quick notes
> 
> \- You may have noticed I took out some of the tags. that's because I outlined and I'm not quite sure of how fast things are gonna progress, so I'm leaving the warning but as of now, just putting in everything that is Actually happening. Also, making an outline is praticulary admittance that the characters are gonna fuck me over and do whatever the hell they want. So, we'll see what happens.
> 
> \- Sorry it got late. I've been writing more original stuff lately and also, finals are catching up with me so that means I've been writing less fanfiction, including this one, that I'm writing for fun. I've more firmly established stuff this time though, so hopefully next update won't be as long
> 
> \- concerning in universe setting, I've decided to ignore part of Vicky's canon backstory. Here, she didn't get the money Indrid had stolen, which means she's not as rich as in canon, so her business is mostly strippers and less spies and art thieves.
> 
> Alright, hope you enjoy this :)

Juno woke up hard and in the middle of the night. To differ with his usual record of shit luck, he wasn't poking Mick with his erection, which felt like a definite plus in his book. Juno's pride was a rare delicacy he was eager to keep some measure of. He stayed flat on his back for a few minutes, looking at his best friend and willing his dick to calm down.

Mick didn't snore exactly, but his breathes were heavy and noisy when he slept. Right then, his throat was making a quiet wheezing sound whenever he took air in. Juno would have to remind him to take a look at that; it wouldn't be the first time Mick Mercury didn't notice he was getting sick only to be pinned to his bed for over two weeks. The man liked to make fun of him, but he was just as much of a mess as he was.  
He was a mess Juno was grateful for, though. Because no matter how much of a disaster Mick was, no matter how many times he got booted out of a job and had to call Juno to get him out of the stupidest of crap, he'd never, ever, given up on Juno.

More importantly, he'd never given up on Jupiter.

When Juno had been standing uselessly in his living room with a crying baby in his arms, a heart smashed to pieces and no fucking idea what to do, he'd lulled Jupiter to sleep and made Juno a godawful chicken soup he'd served him in his bed. When Juno had yelled at him to stop encroaching in his space and get the fuck out of his house, he'd been there the following night to calm down his halted breathes and help him tidy up the whole flat. When Juno had gone into a bar with the very firm intention of drinking himself into Ben's twin grave, he'd held fort for a whole twenty-four hours before getting a neighbor to look after Jupiter and fetching Juno from the dirty alleyway he'd passed out in.

He'd reminded him he loved his niece and would give the world to her.

In comparison, giving his life felt like a small sacrifice.

He hadn't gone back to that alleyway since.

That erection didn't seem like it was going to go down on its own. Juno got up with a sigh and finished undressing, uncaring as he left his clothes in a trail on the floor.

The pressure of his shower wasn't all that great, but the water was blissfully warm, and Juno closed his eyes as he let it run over his head, the stream stinging his skin like warm acid.

He thought about Fletcher's hands, how they'd gripped his thighs. Juno traced the path of the light bruises that had began to form on his skin. He remembered how Fletcher had looked, when he'd offered to pay Juno to use his body, to manhandle him, open his legs and fuck him like a doll. He shivered despite the warm water and took himself in hand. He thought about what would have happened if he'd said yes. Fletcher, and people like him, only _ took _, and that's what he would have done.

He would have taken his wrist in his unflinching hand and gripped hard while he towed Juno along. He would have thrown him against the door as soon as they reached whatever hotel room he'd booked and took and took and took. Would have roamed Juno's body with his hands, uncaring that his nails left welts on his skin, that his grip left bruises around his throat, that the fist pulling on his hair was too tight...

Juno came tasting blood, and licking at the torn skin of his lips.

He rested his head on the wall, letting his come get washed away by the running water. Going with Fletcher would have been a bad idea, he knew that. He was just... lonely. His body was yearning for someone - anyone - to just tear him open and bring him back together, to exorcize him out of the pulping, bubbling emptiness hardening his stomach.

When Juno finally climbed back into bed, Mick muttered something indistinct. His arms opened easily when Juno crawled to him.

Sleep came easier than usual once he’d rested his head on his best friend's shoulder. 

Juno woke up alone in his bed, without Mick shaking him awake or Jupiter assaulting his stomach. Their voices came muffled from the other room, a quiet murmur that sounded like home and warmth. If he closed his eyes and just listened, it even seemed like he wasn’t even there. Like maybe Ben was in the living-room, with his daughter, and Juno was only there for the night, unimportant and irrelevant in the mundane life of his brother’s happiness.

He forced himself to get up before the warmth became cold, and the sweet scent became bitter. Memories could be nice, but mostly - Juno had learned - they tended to get vicious.

He was doing fine. This was fine. He just had to keep going.

"Hello unty Jay" Jupiter greeted him as soon as he was out the door, but she wasn't as bubbly as she usually was, a slightly guarded look on her face and her spoon hanging uselessly in her cereals. Mick didn't say anything, his concentration lost on the already burning eggs he was cooking.

"Hey baby girl." Juno went straight for his niece, hugging her tight. In less than a second, she melted in his arms and giggled delightedly. Juno really didn't deserve any of this. 

But he had to take care of her, so he would.

"Sorry about last night, Jup, I had a bad day at work, that's all."

"Is it all better now?" she asked, her voice muffled by his chest. 

"All better thanks to you, baby girl."

"What?! But I didn't even get to give you a magic kiss!" 

"Really? I guess that's what I was missing. Can I get one now, doctor Jupiter? "

"Yes!!!"

He let himself be brought down to her level and received her kiss on his forehead with closed eyes and a blooming smile.

"Thank you, doctor Jupiter, I feel all better now."

She giggled again and gave him a tight hug. Maybe magic kisses really worked, because Juno couldn’t stop the smile spreading on his face.

"Alright Herr Doktor, go get ready for school now." Jupiter made a mock salute and made a beeline for her door. "and don't forget it's girl's night tonight!" 

"Girls night!!!" she squealed excitedly and Juno couldn't help but chuckle happily.

"Who knew Juno Steel would be such a good parent." said Mick with a teasing lilt.

"Who knew you could ever shut the fuck up." Retorted Juno lamely, stealing the spatula from Mick's incompetent hands to try and salvage what he could of the carbonated mess the eggs had become.

They went back and forth playfully for a while, bumping each other teasingly, until Mick pushed back harder than what Juno was expecting and he fell flat on his butt. 

"Ouch. Not so hard, you big doofus."

Mick only gave him a winning smile and a hand to grab and get back up.

"About last night-" 

"Yeah... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-" 

"Jay, it’s okay! You were just tired. That happens to everyone."

Juno nodded along to the familiar sentence but he could only think of the closed off look on Jupiter's face.

He knew this kind of look all too well. 

“I guess, it’s just- You know, I don’t want to be like this with Jup…”

“Juno. I know what you’re thinking, but it’s really not that big of a deal.”

“But she-”

“She’s just worried for you! We both are: you’re doing a hard job-

“My job’s not an excuse! I can’t just-”

“You’re_ not _Sarah.”

The argument bubbling in Juno’s throat sizzled off, and he had to look away. Mick gently took the pan from him and put it in the sink, the eggs a definite failure.

“C’mon Jay,” Juno didn’t resist being pulled into an embrace by his stupid, amazing, way-too-gentle, best friend, “stop using that big brain of yours for a minute, okay? You’re doing great. Jup loves you, you’re like- the best parent she could have.”

Yeah,” Juno admitted softly into Mick’s chest, “Okay.”

Mick smelt of their bed, and warmth, with just a hint of sweat. It would have been so easy to close his eyes and let himself melt into that embrace, to get used to that scent, to that feeling, to the strong arms encircling him.

It would also be a terrible idea. Juno knew that.

Hell, even _ Mick _knew that, and if that in itself wasn’t the proof Juno should not be doing something, he might as well march out in the martian desert with no clothes on.

But, still.

It would have been nice.

"I'm serious, Juno, you're doing fine!"

"Alright, alright you oversized teddy bear, just let me go!" 

Mick pouted but did as he was told and Juno pretended to be relieved as cold rapidly spread over his body.

The eggs ended up in the trash.

Girls night was, surprisingly enough, an innovation made by Mick, who had insisted Juno and his niece needed to spend some one on one time. So, once a week, when Juno had time off from getting almost naked on a stage, Mick found some other place to be for the night: sometimes a bar, sometimes a night time job, sometimes a shady friend's place, and Juno and Jupiter got the flat and the long expanse of the dark night to themselves.

Sometimes Juno found some place they could go to, a nice restaurant he could exceptionally afford after a few good tips, or to one of the rare shows that were age appropriate in Hyperion City. Most of the time, though, it was just him, Jupiter, and whatever striked the fancy of a six years old and her unty. Tonight, that meant an old movie Jupiter had overheard one friend talking about, and Juno teaching her to paint her nails properly.

It was nice.

“Alright hold still now.”

“Okay.”

Jupiter puffed her cheeks while she stared intently at Juno putting a bright violet coat on her nails. He repressed a chuckle at the visual.

He smiled at her, releasing her hand once he was done coating her pinky.

“Do you want to try mine next?”

Jupiter screamed her enthusiasm, making Juno chuckle some more. He obediently extended his hand for her to paint on and she set to the task with a air of determined concentration. She wasn’t terrible at it, mostly managing to put an even coat of the product on him, even if his fingers did suffer some casualties.

“What now?” she asked, once she’d thoroughly coated every nails.

“Now we have to let them dry for a bit. Do you want popcorn with the movie?”

“Yay!! Popcorn!!”

She giggled as Juno gave her a fond kiss on the forehead before setting up their station for the movie to start. It didn’t take long for the popcorn to start popping properly, but when Juno came back to the room, it was to find her completely engrossed with the adventure of a young woman, who Juno had to appreciate for her serious ass-kicking abilities.

Since Jupiter was fully captivated by the movie, and by her popcorn, Juno picked up some more of the nail polish, deciding to make it fancy by adding a line of gold to his purple. He couldn’t do it quite as well as he did when using all of Julian’s fancy equipment, but for once in his life, he could simply take his time so it didn’t come out half bad.

There must have been some kind of lull in the movie, or maybe Jupiter was just getting distracted, as she was won’t to be after a long while just staring at a screen.

“This looks _ amazing _!! Can you teach me to do that, too?”

Juno chuckled.

“I can if you want, but then you’ll have to wait to eat the rest of the popcorn otherwise it’ll get all smudged.”

That gave her pause, considering the dilemma with a serious face.

“If I eat all the popcorn it’s fine, right?”

“Sure is, baby, but you don’t have to make yourself sick over this.”

She gave a considering hum, her eyes drifting to the tv station as the big climax of the movie started. Juno was happy to let her attention shift, and waited for his own polish to dry off so he could steal some popcorn in case she actually remembered and tried to eat it all.

As it was, he probably shouldn’t have worried too much. By the time the movie was finished, Jupiter was leaning against him, popcorn and nail polish forgotten as her eyes strained to stay open.

“You’re ready to go to bed, sweetheart?” Juno asked softly, brushing her hair out of her face.

She barely hummed a response, tucking herself closer against his side.

“Alright.”

Juno was always surprised at how light Jupiter was when he picked her up. It wasn’t that he was particularly beefy - even if working the pole frequently definitely had given him some of his muscles back - it was just that he always expected her to be much bigger, much heavier than she was, as weighty in his arms as she was in his heart. But instead, Juno thought as he gently got her into bed - arranging her bread so it wouldn’t bother her in her sleep - she felt as light as a bird; precious and so close to flying away. Thinking about how fragile she really was never failed to mess him up.

He stayed a long time seating against her bed, listening to her calm, deep breathing before he finally went to bed himself.

The next day, Mick and Jupiter woke him up as they were leaving. He grumbled a good day in their general direction before rolling back into the bed and getting some more shut eye. When he got up, it was almost noon but he felt rested and content for once, and he prepared lazily for his long shift at the Valley.

He got there fairly early, with plenty of time to prepare in the locker room before the main set. Most of the other dancers were already there as well, and Juno absentmindedly listened as Harper, one of the star of the show, showed the new recruit - Rex Glass was his name, right? - around.

Apparently that wasn't all Harper was doing though.

"And that's Juno. I don't know why Vicky keeps his ugly ass around but at least that means you never have to worry about bringing in the least cash."

Needless to say, Juno didn't like Harper.

Rising to the bait was useless. Juno rolled his eyes and kept on putting his eyeliner. 

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Sewers. Nobody likes a loud mouth whose breath stinks."

Harper had been an old town kid, just like Juno, and while it meant they knew a lot more about him than he was entirely comfortable with, that went both ways. Harper had had the very unfortunate habit of engaging in prank war as a kid, with - if Juno remembered correctly - very little imagination. Once, one of their friends had dunked a bucket of sewer water on their head, leaving them to smell of rotten fish and piss. Needless to say it had left a lasting impression on the bunch of mean, bored kids. Using the lasting nickname was petty, maybe, but Juno was not above petty. Especially when it came to Harper.

"My breath does _ not _stink, you bitch."

"Whatever you say, Sewers."

"Well at least I didn't steal my moves from Benny Steel."

"Harper!" Julian intervened, throwing a worried glance where Juno was now frozen. 

"What? Worried your boyfriend is gonna cry? Wait, I remember now! Your boyfriend is a rich guy, isn't he? Or are you two timing him? Or whoring?" Harper took an air off faux innocence. "I guess you must come pretty cheap if even _ Steel _ can book you."

Julian sputtered, unused to being confronted to such acid. 

"Shut the hell up Harper. I know you're trying to impress the new recruit because _ nobody _ wants to fuck you, but I can assure you your _ winning personality _ won't make anyone forget the smell."

The recruit sent a nervous glance at them both, seemingly unprepared to find himself stuck in the middle of an argument for his first night, but Harper either didn't notice or didn't care. 

"Very impressive, Steel. Are you ever going to refresh your lines? Stars, Benny boy was _ also _ funnier than you! How does it feel to know mama got rid of the _ better _ twin?"

"Harper!" shouted Julian, but Juno barely heard him because he was already lunging a punch directly at the asshat's face.

Harper shouted in surprise and pain when Juno's fist cracked over their nose, and immediately responded by slapping him hard, sending Juno reeling for a second. Then, before Juno could blink, they were exchanging vicious blows that would have been more at home in a shitty bar with alcohol in their veins.

Harper had some muscles, like they all did, from working the main stage and the pole, but the last time they’d been fighting was probably in a scrape with other old town kids.

Juno had never stopped fighting. All his life, he’d been scrappy and mean, like a wild dog ready to kick first because it knew it would end up being kicked out.

He landed a punch to Harper’s stomach and they let out a hiss like a furious cat, catching his wrist and twisting it, their fingers grinding the bones together painfully.

Juno ripped his hand away, grimacing at the feeling. He was ready to throw in another blow when he felt arms grappling him from behind, Julian's voice begging him to calm down, his tone desperate in a way that suggested he had been trying to get Juno's attention several times already.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?!" 

Vicky looked ready to blow a fuse, her eyes sending death glares to both Juno and Harper.

"Juno never learned not to communicate with his fists," the dancer sneered, holding a hand to their bleeding nose.

"Harper started it!" Julian protested, his high, indignant voice thankfully drowning out Juno's grumbled "Sorry, Vicky". 

"This isn't a court of law here, you numbskulls! I'm running a business! Do I look like I have the time to take care of little kids having bitch fights?" 

"Maybe that wouldn't happen if that fucking pitbull wasn't here." Harper muttered, more than loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.

"Did I ask for your opinion, you little shit ? Did _ I _ ? Do I look like I care about your _ opinion? _ Who do you take me for, _ pal? _If I need to flatten your face myself I will, kid. Don't think I won't!"

That wiped the smirk of their face, and they looked down, subdued by the rebuttal. 

"Sorry, Vicky."

"Yeah, you _ better _be sorry. Out of my view now, both of you!"

Juno nodded and started out of the room, trying to keep his expression neutral lest he'd sign himself up as a target for Vicky's warth once again. Harper, however, hurried over to their station to gather their makeup supplies.

“What are you doing?” barked their boss.

“I have my set first tonight, I need to get ready, Vicky.” Harper made the mistake to respond.

“With that face? No you’re not. Hey, new guy!” The recruit jumped to attention. He’d done a good job of sliding into the background, to the point that Juno had barely paid any attention to him after he’d appeared by Harper’s side. But even that couldn’t save him from Vicky’s entreprenarial senses. “You’re ready to do a set, aren’t you?”

“Yes ma’am,” responded Glass, with a quick nod. He had the demeanor of a little soldier, ready to attend to his queen’s every whims. Surely he would be a perfect fit for Vicky’s means.

Harper tried to protest but Vicky only talked over them.

“Good. You’re taking Harper’s, then. Juno, you’re not doing yours either. Sofija will take your place.”

“Vicky-”

“I. Don’t. Care!” She growled. “I'm taking you both off the stage for two weeks! Next time you’ll learn not to fight in _ my _ establishment. _ Now get out of my sight _!”

She slammed the door and the sound resonated in the small room. Small room that was getting smaller by the minute as Juno realized what this meant for his pay. He still had to pay Jupiter’s school, and Mick hadn’t managed to hold a job this month, so they didn’t have even any kind of addition to help to pay for the flat, and he would be fine until the end of the month, but then he _ still _ had to pay for that school, and if he couldn’t pay, they’d kick his niece out. She’d just started a next project she liked, and she was making friends, and- and-

He couldn’t lose that.

Jupiter couldn’t lose that.

“Juno?” He ignored Julian, and bolted out of the door.

He managed to catch Vicky as she was still walking the private part of the club.

“Vicky, come on! You know I need that pay! You can't suspend me for _ two weeks!" _

"Should have thought of that _ before _ you clocked Harper in the face, don't you think?!" 

"_ Vicky !" _

She stopped at him grabbing her arm, and turned toward him, a stormy look on her face.

"Listen, I'm sorry, okay! It was stupid, I know. They just… I know I shouldn't have thrown the first hit, or whatever... But you _ know _ I need that money."

"Juno," she sighed "give me your hand."

"What?"

"Your hand. Give it here." she snapped her fingers impatiently, and Juno obeyed, holding out his hand confusedly. 

And immediately groaned in pain when Vicky gripped it painfully. 

"Ow, what the hell! What is _ wrong _with you?" 

"That's not me, you knothead," she said, voice surprisingly soft "you sprained your wrist."

"Wha- Oh."

Looking at his hand, he could now see the purple bruise forming under his skin, could feel the strain as he closed his fist.

She was right.

"Two weeks off the stage."

"But-"

"Two weeks off the stage and _ that's final, _ Steel. If you try to sneak or whatever I'll know because your wrist will be fucked! And then you’ll be out of a job, so _ watch it Steel!" _

“But I- Can’t I do anything else? You know I need that cash. You know _ why _I need that cash, right?"

“What do you want me to say to say, Steel? You _ know _the business is bad. I don’t have anything to give you."

“Come on Vicky, can't you advance me, or something?”

“You _ already owe me _ money Steel, do you _ really _ want that particular debt to get _ bigger _?”

“Yeah well, it’s not like I have any other options, do I?”

“You could still ask-”

“_No_.” Juno forced his voice not to tremble. “I’m doing that- You don’t- I’m not gonna _ fucking _ ask- _ no _.”

“What’s the big deal? Listen, I get that you hate her guts. I would too, but-”

“Just- Whatever” -anything to get her to stop talking- “Can I get some other shifts at the tables?”

Vicky raised an eyebrow. She looked unimpressed but Juno had better to do than worry about her opinion of him.

“_ Fine_. But you better bandage that wrist good. And if you make it worse, I’m not picking you up again.”

“_ Fine_.” 

Juno turned on his heels, gritting his teeth to cage in the yell welling up at the hollow of his throat.

“Don’t fucking _ thank _ me, you ungrateful _ prick _!” Vicky shouted behind him.

He flipped her the bird before reaching the “staff only” door and slamming it behind himself.

Fuck all of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dont have a specific shedule for this fic yet, but considering every else I have to deal with right now, I think I'm gonna try and hold myself up to posting once a month until I have less shit to do. Looking at my draft of an outline, it's probably gonna end up being pretty long...


End file.
